State Farm drops support of LGBTQ kids books after conservative furor
State Farm ended its support of the GenderCool Project after the partnership to promote inclusivity had “been the subject of news and customer inquiries.”
How the Biden administration let right-wing attacks derail its disinformation efforts
Nina Jankowicz was the subject of online attacks from the moment she was named head of the newly created Disinformation Governance Board. Three weeks later, the Department of Homeland Security said the board's work would be "paused."
Followers are a valuable currency. Who should own them?
A new coalition of startups is calling on tech giants to stop holding followers hostage.
Ukraine sells 700,000 stamps celebrating defiance to sunken Russian flagship Moskva
Ukrainians also celebrated Russian battlefield setbacks by making memes and an NFT of the recaptured oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.
Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage machine
In just one year, the Twitter account has helped steer the outrage machine at the center of right-wing messaging and legislation.
Can getting dunked on online win an election?
Long-shot candidates build social media clout, and donor lists, by “running against villains.”
Does traveling to every country count if you don’t post on the Internet?
The field of travel influencers is lucrative and largely unregulated. A recent lawsuit against the self-proclaimed “first woman to travel to every country” attempts to correct the record.
Internet ‘algospeak’ is changing our language in real time, from ‘nip nops’ to ‘le dollar bean’
To avoid angering the almighty algorithm, creators on TikTok and other platforms are creating a new vocabulary.
Internet communities are battling over pixels
Reddit's r/Place shows that to have a voice online, you must be part of a movement.
Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok
Targeted Victory pushed local operatives across the country to boost messages calling TikTok a threat to American children. “Dream would be to get stories with headlines like ‘From dances to danger,'" one campaign director said.
Stephen Wilhite, computer programmer who created the GIF, dies at 74
He pronounced it "jif," like the peanut butter brand.
Doomscrolling got you down? Take a break at a digital rest stop.
People are craving ways to log off without really logging off.
How Stepan, Ukraine’s most famous cat, escaped the war to safety
For creators in Ukraine, an online following can be a lifeline.
The White House is briefing TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine
With millions getting their information about the war from the platform, the administration wants to get its message to top content creators.
Twitter is looking for younger users. It’s turning to the tech world’s teen savant to help find them.
Twitter has hired the tech world's most savvy observers of young users to help the service recruit more young people and compete with TikTok.
Estée Lauder exec ousted after posting racist covid-19 meme featuring ‘Sesame Street’ characters
Senior Estée Lauder executive John Demsey was told to leave the company over a meme he posted on Instagram that used the n-word in a joke about "Sesame Street's" Snuffleupagus contracting the coronavirus.
Ukrainian agency, urging removal of road signs, posts fake photo with a colorful message for Russia
The photo of the blue road sign, which tells Russian forces how Ukrainians feel about the invasion in three different ways, is an illustrative joke from Ukravtodor, the government agency for the national road system, during a heavy moment in Ukraine’s history.
Meet the ‘Crocodile of Wall Street’ rapper accused of laundering billions of dollars in crypto
Heather Morgan has two distinct personas: one as a successful tech entrepreneur and another as Razzlekhan, the self-proclaimed “Crocodile of Wall Street” who raps about investing in meme stocks and getting high in a cemetery.
Pam and Tommy, sex tape pioneers, changed the Internet forever. They didn’t ask for it.
What began as a disgruntled electrician stealing a safe turned into an infamous ’90s soap opera of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee that spanned far beyond sex and rock-and-roll — and became “the greatest love story ever sold.”
Couch Guy to West Elm Caleb: Inside the making of a TikTok ‘villain’
What began as a way for young women to share their qualms with West Elm Caleb — or any other not-so-kind date — muddled the line between support and ridicule, with hordes of commenters and content creators jumping on board.